Balloon hat



1968 s. c. PARRILLA 3,360,801

BALLOON HAT Filed April 30, 1965 United States Patent 3,360,801 BALLOON HAT Salvatore C. Parrilla, 318 Leader Bldg., Cleveland, Ohio 44114 Filed Apr. 30, 1965, Ser. No. 452,309 1 Claim. (Cl. 2-199) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cap for supporting a balloon having a neck is made of soft rubber-like material and has a plug extension of the same material projecting radially inwardly in the polar region of the cap, this plug having a central through opening extending from top to bottom of the plug and having upper and lower portions of said opening of a diameter allowing looseness of the material of a balloon passing through the opening, and there being an intermediate portion of the opening restricted by an annular radially inwardly extending projection leaving a restricted opening at the intermediate zone of the plug having a dimension which in unstressed condition of the rubberlike material is less than the neck material of a balloon passing therethrough so that this projection compresses the neck of a balloon when passed through the opening sufliciently to seal the balloon and retain the air therein. At the same time, the annular inwardly extending projection of the plug permits stretching of the neck of an uninflated balloon in this intermediate portion of the plug opening sufliciently to permit balloon inflation.

This invention relates to improvements in a capsupported balloon and more particularly to a cap portion of the device generally hemispherical in shape adapted to fit an average human head and preferably of rubberlike material stretchable to be frictionally retained on the head of a wearer, and with the cap portion having a through opening at its polar region adapted to receive the neck portion of a balloon.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device as defined in the preceding paragraph including a plug of the rubberlike material adapted to close the neck of the balloon and preferably integrally connected to the entire device near the balloon neck.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the type described, such a device having a balloon of thin rubber-like material having a neck insertable through a polar opening in a neck portion of the cap normally adapted to squeeze and seal the neck of an inflated balloon, said balloon being capable of being inflated by the lungs of the user when the balloon neck is stretched in the cap neck portion.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the device in unstressed condition with the lower portion thereof broken away in central section to more clearly show the construction;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the same with the balloon inflated and with the cap portion stretched over the head of the wearer; while FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are fragmental sectional views similar to FIG. 1 showing other ways of attaching the balloon to the cap.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, it should be understood 11 of the balloon. The balloon is made of material commonly found in toy balloons which is thin enough to be inflatable by the lung pressure of the user.

The cap portion 12 is generally hemispherical in shape and of less diameter than a human head. The rubberlike material of the cap portion is identical with the balloon except that it is somewhat thicker but adaptable to be stretchable like a stocking cap to be frictionally retained on the head of the wearer. Preferably, but not necessarily, the neck portion extends at 11a slightly on the interior side of the cap portion '12 so as to provide a portion to be contacted by the lips of the person inflating the balloon '10. A plug 13 is provided adapted to close and seal the neck portion and in a preferred form of this device this plug "and a connecting strap 14 are of the same rubberlike material as the rest of the device and integral therewith so that the plug may normally hang in the dot-dash position shown in FIG. 1 when not in use so as not to be lost. After the balloon is inflated the plug is placed in the :full line position of 1. Preferably, and if found desirable, the neck portion at 11a opposite the plug 13 is made sufficiently strong to receive the plug firmly.

In use of this device the balloon 110 is inflated as shown in FIG. 2 and the plug 13 is placed in the full line position as shown in FIG. 1 after the inflation process is completed. The cap portion 12 is then stretched over the head of a wearer shown at '15 and the cap material has suflicient resiliency to stretch over the head of the wearer but to be frictionally retained on the head as shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 shows a modification wherein the balloon 10 having a neck portion 101: and the cap 12 are like those previously described except that the cap at its polar region is provided with an inwardly projecting plug-like extension 16 integral with the balloon and of soft rubberlike material. This plug -16 has an upper central opening portion 12a and a lower central opening portion 1612 each of a diameter to allow looseness of the balloon material there. An intermediate portion of the plug has an annular radially inwardly extending projection 16a, the inner dimension of which in its unstressed condition is less than the neck material 10a of the balloon, so that it compresses the neck of a balloon passing through the opening sufiiciently to seal it as shown in full lines in FIG. 3. In use of this modification, the balloon 10 is inserted with its neck 10a through the opening at 16a with the balloon in its uninfiated condition. The user then pulls the neck to the dot-dash position of FIG. 3 with one hand while pulling the other end of the balloon in the opposite direction so as to stretch the balloon material where it passes the projection 16a and thus provides enough opening to inflate the balloon after which the balloon may be released and will retain air in it because of the constriction at 160.

In the modification of FIG. 4, the balloon 10 and cap 12 are the same as previously described except that the balloon at its polar region has a through opening 17 through which the neck of the balloon may be inserted 0 at one side of the opening as seen at 18, and thereafter that the entire device as herein described is of unitary formation extends from the upper portion of the hat or cap to which it is attached by means of the neck portion a plug 19 is inserted in the opening 17 holding the neck 18 tightly against the inner Wall of the opening so as to retain the air in the balloon 10. Preferably, but not necessarily, the plug 19 is integral-1y connected by a strap 20 of the rubberli-ke material of the cap 12.

In the modification of FIG. 5, the balloon 10, the cap 12 and the through opening 17 are as described in connection with FIG. 4, but the neck of the balloon, after inflation is spread annularly as indicated at 2 1, and the plug 19 is inserted inside the neck 21 to seal it against the walls of the opening 17.

I vhave/thus shown a device which is cheaply and easily made, is not readily destructible, and WhlClI1 gives great pleasure to the young.

What is claimed is:

1. A .combined cap and lung-inflatable balloon, said lung-inflatable balloon having a neck, said cap being of soft rubberlike material and generally hemispherical in shape and adapted to fit an average human head, there being a .plug extension projecting radially inwardly in the polar region of said cap and of soft rubberlike material integral with said cap, said plug having a central through opening formed therein extending from top to bottom of said plug, there being upper and lower portions of said opening formed .with a diameter allowing looseness of the material of the lung-inflatable balloon passing through said opening, and there being a portion of said opening intermediate said upper and lower portions having an annular radially inwardly extending projection forming a restricted opening in said plug, the restricted opening having a dimension in unstressed condition which is less than the neck material of the lung-inflatable balloon passing flherethrough so that it compresses the neck of the lung-inflatable balloon passing through the restricted opening sufiiciently to seal it, said annular inwardly extending projection permitting stretching oi the neck of the lung-inflatable balloon in uninflated condition in said restricted opening sufficient to permit balloon infiation under such conditions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,593,188 4/1952 Rikelman 2185 2,621,334 1 2/1952 OHare 2l96 2,654,973 10/1953 Lernelson 2199 XR 3,009,162 11/1961 Hari 4688 XR 3,009,594 11/1961 Anson 46-88 XR FOREIGN PATENTS 25,850 11/ 1897 Great Britain.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. 

